An amber “be prepared” warning has been issued for north-east Scotland for tomorrow.

There will be a risk to the public of flying debris.

Storm Caroline is expected to batter the coastline. Picture by Jane Barlow

The strongest winds will reach northern parts of the Western Isles early tomorrow.

The winds will extend eastwards across the north of Scotland and the Northern Isles during the day.

Winds will be easing from the west as they start to peak over the Shetland Islands later in the afternoon. Snow showers will turn increasingly frequent and heavy throughout the day.

A yellow “be aware” warning has also now been put in place for central and parts of southern Scotland.

The Met Office has issued an updated amber weather warning for Scotland's north-east for tomorrow.

Snow and ice has been forecast for large parts of the UK in the wake of Caroline on Friday and Saturday.

Yellow warnings are in place for the weekend.

Orkney and Shetland are expected to continue to experience high winds on Friday and Saturday.

The Met Office has warned of the potential for damage to property and travel disruption tomorrow.

Transport Scotland warned drivers of the “strong possibility” of bridge closures and restrictions across the country, especially for high-sided vehicles.

Transport minister Humza Yousaf said: “We are facing some challenging weather conditions in the next few days as a result of Storm Caroline and we will be working closely with our partners to try to mitigate the worst of these and get information out to the public so that they can plan their journeys.

“Disruption is very likely but we will make every effort to recover the network as quickly as possible when incidents do occur.”

Drivers should be aware of the strong possibility of bridge closures and restrictions. Restrictions, especially for high-sided vehicles, are likely across the country.

Gritters and patrols will be deployed across the trunk road network with up to 20 cm of snow and blizzard conditions forecast for higher routes on Friday and Saturday.

Graeme Macfarlan, Commercial Director of CalMac said: “With Storm Caroline expected to see strong winds gusting across the north of Scotland tomorrow disruption to ferry services is a high possibility.

“We would urge passengers who need to travel, to allow extra time for their journey and to keep track of the status of their sailing on the website before setting out on their journey.

“Passengers also have the option of signing up for our text service to get the very latest service updates via their phone.”

Energy firm SSE has also said there was the potential of power cuts.

Highland Council said Thursday’s conditions could affect its Corran Ferry services in Lochaber.

In its amber warning, the Met Office said: “Flying debris is likely and could lead to injuries or danger to life.

“Some damage to buildings is possible such as tiles blowing off roofs.

“Longer journey times and cancellations are likely, as road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected.”

The Met Office has also warned of large waves along the coast.

Storm Caroline: 90mph winds and '˜flying debris' to batter Scotland